Therapist heading West on travel fellowship
A horticultural practitioner from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a place on the prestigious Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship 2013.
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) Travelling Fellowship awards travel grants to British citizens from all walks of life, to enable them to acquire knowledge and experience abroad for the benefit of others in their profession and community in the UK. In the process they gain a better understanding of the lives and cultures of people overseas.
To further his knowledge and understanding Richard Brown, who works at the Horizon Centre- a learning disability service in Wakefield, will be heading to Ontario, Canada, and Chicago and Michigan in the USA for one month to explore the use of horticultural therapy as a medical treatment.
Richard’s role at the Trust involves using the practice of gardening as therapy to improve both physical and mental wellbeing. Horticultural therapists are specially educated and trained members of treatment and rehabilitation teams who help get service users involved in all phases of gardening as a means of bringing about improvement in their life.
During his visit Richard will visit the Chicago Botanic Garden, a world leader in the professional education and delivery of horticultural therapy, the Niagara Botanical Gardens in Ontario, Canada and Detroit Urban Farms. Richard is also planning to attend the 40th annual American Horticultural Therapy Conference in Minneapolis to meet and learn from world leaders in the profession.
At the same time as improving knowledge Richard will be working to raise the profile of the Horizon Centre as a multi-disciplinary specialist service and the Trust.
Richard said, “This is a great opportunity for me to further my knowledge of how horticulture is being used in different countries at the same time as looking at how we might progress its use across the Trust. The Trust already uses horticultural therapy to support people’s care and we see every day the benefits this brings to people. I hope to able to use this trip to further the work across the organisation and in the communities we serve.”
Keep up to date with Richard’s travels on his blog www.thetravellinght.wordpress.com
